Maitland City Talk

Annual Testing of Residential Backflow Prevention Devices

Effective Jan. 1, 2015, employees of the City of Maitland Public Works Cross Connection Control Section will begin testing residential backflow preventers installed at properties with an irrigation system, a well, or a swimming pool – sources of potential cross connections. Backflow preventers protect the public water supply from contaminants and pollutants that could backflow back into the city’s water supply through cross connections.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection requires community water systems to implement a routine cross connection control program to detect and control cross connections and prevent backflow of contaminants into the water supply. In response to FDEP’s rule, the City Council established the City’s cross connection control program by adoption of City Ordinance 1283 in June 2013.

A fee of $35 per device tested will be added to your utility bill. Additional costs could be required if device fails test. For more information about the City of Maitland’s Cross Connection Control program, please call 407-539-6246.

Reminder: New water, wastewater, and irrigation rates effective Jan. 1, 2015

The city’s water and wastewater utility system is self-supporting. Revenues collected from customers support the costs of operating, maintaining, repairing, and financing the utility. In 2014, City Council authorized a study to review the utility’s financial requirements and redesign rates to recover costs. Similarly, staff has identified roughly $14.8 million in capital improvement projects to be completed through fiscal year 2019. Capital improvements include necessary repairs and upgrades to utility infrastructure that is, for the most part, older than 30 years.

To fully fund much-needed infrastructure updates and the costs of providing utility service, authors of the study recommended that City Council increase water and wastewater rates by 14.9 percent. After holding three public meetings in September and October, City Council adopted the recommended rates on Oct. 13. The rate increase will fund the capital improvement projects, costs associated with compliance with rules of national and state regulators, and the seamless service of the water and wastewater utility.

This adjustment is necessary so the city can continue to provide high-caliber water and wastewater service to residents. For the average residential customer, this will mean approximately $6.34 more on your monthly utility bill. For more information or to review a copy of the utility rate study, please visit the city’s website at www.itsmymaitland.com

Reminder: National Historic Landmark Dedication Ceremony

On Sept. 30, the Secretary of the Interior designated the Art & History Museums-Maitland’s Maitland Art Center as a National Historic Landmark. The Maitland Art Center is the first National Historic Landmark in a four-county area and the 44th in the state. To celebrate this distinction, the A&H will host a National Landmark Dedication Ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 11:30 a.m. at A&H’s Maitland Art Center.